Can opener



Sept. 29, 1931. N. w. THYBONY ET AL 1,825,216

CQN OPENER Filed July 17 1925 Jr/ VE/Y T01R75: Fuwmfl OZHBFKL Mus Win 501w ABM Patented Sept. 29, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE NELS W. THYBONY AND RUDOLPH M. OZABAL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS, BY

MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO KLAAS VAN WYNGAARDEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS CAN OIENER Application filed July 17,

This invention relates to improvements over a type of can opener in which two handle levers having opposed cutting and feeding discs journaled on their outer ends are sjoined by a common fixed fulcrum so that when opposed cutting and feeding discs are brought into juxtaposition to sever a can top by the movement of the discs around it, a very considerable force has to be applied to the handles to start the cutting and continued to complete it.

Can openers of the construction above described are subject to a number of objections, among which may be mentioned the unde- 5 sir-able amount of power which has to be applied by hand to the handles of the levers for initially forcing the cutting'disc through the body of the can, and thereafter holding it in operative position throughout the severing l operation.

The prime object of our invention, broadly stated, is to produce a can opener of the general type above described, the construction of which is such that the power applied by hand required for forcing the cutting disc through the body of the can is reduced to a minimum, and is rendered negligible during the operation of severing the top from the body of the can.

More specifically stated, our invention resides in a can opener in which the feed roller is pivoted to one of the levers and has a shifting bearing in the other lever, and the cutting disc is pivotally mounted on said other lever inwardly of the feed roller, and is connected by a toggle joint with said first lever so that the power to be applied by hand for bringing the cutting disc into operative position and holding it there throughout the severing of the top from the body of the can is rendered negligible.

)Wlth these ends in view, our invention finds embodiment in certain features of novelty in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts by which the said objects are attained, all as hereinafter fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

1925. Serial No. 44,244.

In said drawings,-

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a can opener in which our invention finds embodiment, and in its position upon a can immediately preceding the projection of the cutting disk through the body of the can.

Fig. 2 is aside elevation partly in section, showing the operative position of the cutting disk and the feed roller for severing the top. 7.

from the body of a can.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the can opener in its wide-open position, and in which the dotted lines indicate the position of the feed roller and the cutting disk, following,

the projection of the latter through the can body and the severing of the top therefrom,

the dotted lines partly indicating the alinement of the axes of the feed roll, the cutting disk and of the toggle joint.

Fig. 4 is a detail side elevation, showing A the relative extreme positions the feed roller and cutting disk may have before their application to a can, as shown in Fig. 2.

Similar characters of reference indicate the same drawings.

5 indicates a lever, provided with a handle 6, and 7 a knurled feed roller provided with parts in the several figures of the a pivot 8, having its bearing in the lever.

Pivoted'upon the screw 13 and supported.

on the end of the bushing 14, and maybe upon the hub 16, is plate 17, which plate is mounted upon and supported by a flange 18 of a pivot 19, riveted to the lever 5.

The plate 17 provides a toggle joint connection between the cutting disk and the handle 6, so that, during the moving of the handle 12 towards the handle 6, to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3, the

cutting disk will be swung on the pivot 19 on the arc of a circle toward-the feed roller 7 until the axis of the pivot 19 and that of the cutting disk and feed roller are substantially in alinement with each other throughout the operation of severing the top from the can and at a time when the pivot 8 of the feed roller 7 is located at the outer end of the slot 20.

For utilizing the can opener of our invention to remove caps from bottles, it may be provided with a decapping notch 21, operated as such devices usually are.

It is now to be noted that the lever 12 has an elongated slot 20, providing a shifting bearing for the pivot 8 of the feed roller 7, and that when the hand levers are in the open position shown in Fig. 3, the pivot of the feed roller will have its bearing against the outer end wall of the slot, but will be actuated in the slot toward the cutting disk concurrently with the swinging of the cutting disk on the arc of a circle.

In operation, with the levers in their open position shown in Fig. 3, the flange of the can is inserted between the feed roller and the cutter 15, whereupon the handle 12 is moved toward the position shown in dotted lines, until the cutting disk is forced through the body of the can and the rim of the can tightly clamped between the feed roller and the hub 16 of the cutting disk, so that on operating the handle 11, the feed roller and the cutting disk will be revolved about the can until the cutting has severed the can top therefrom.

From the foregoing, it will now be apparent that the can opener of our invention provides ameans for substantially and materially reducing the force heretofore required for initially projecting the cutting disk through the body of the can and for firmly gripping the top and body of the can respec tively between the feed roller and the cutting disk, and that, following the alinement of the axes of the levers, the cutting disk and the feed roller, substantially no force need be applied to the handles of the levers during and throughout the operation of severing the top from the can.

Having described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A can opener comprising in combination a pair of pivoted levers, a feed roller mounted upon one of said levers, a shifting fulcrum connecting said roller with the other lever, a cutting disk mounted upon said other lever, and means adapted to move said roller and disk toward and from each other.

2. A can opener comprising in combination a pair of pivoted levers, a feed roller mounted upon one of said levers, a shifting fulcrum connecting said roller with the other lever, a cutting disk mounted upon said other lever, and a pivoted means adapted to swing the axes of the feed roller, the cutting disk and the pivoted means to alignment with each other.

3. A can opener comprising in combination a pair of levers, a shifting fulcrum connecting said levers, a feed roller mounted upon one of said levers, a cutting disk mounted upon the other lever and means adapted to forcibly swing said cutting disk toward and from the feed roller.

4. A can opener comprising in combination, a pair of levers connected by a shifting fulcrum, a feed roller mechanism carried by said levers, a cutting disk carried by one of the levers, whereby when the levers are swung relative to each other, the feed roller mechanism is moved to operative engagement.

5. A can opener comprising in combination. a pair of levers connected by a shifting fulcrum, a feed roller mechanism carried by said levers, a cutting disk carried by one of the levers, connections between said levers in addition to the fulcrum, whereby when the levers are swung relative to each other the feed roller mechanism is moved to operative engagement and means for rotating the feed roller.

6. A can opener comprising in combination, a pair of levers connected by a shifting fulcrum, feed roller mechanisms carried by said levers, a cutting disk carried by one of the levers, and a link connecting one of said levers with the other whereby when the levers are swung relative to each other the feed roller mechanism is moved to operative engagoment.

7. A can opener comprising in combination, a pair of levers connected by a shifting fulcrum consisting of an elongated slot in one lever and a member on the other lever extending therethrough, feed roller mechanism carried by said levers, a cutting disk carried by one of the levers, and connections between said levers in addition to the fulcrum whereby when the levers are swung relative to each other the feed roller mechanism is moved to operative engagement.

8. A can opener comprising in combination, a pair of levers connected by a shifting fulcrum consisting of an elongated slot in one lever, and a journal in said other lever extending therethrough, a feed roller carried by each of said levers, one of them being a'liixed to the aforesaid journal, :1 cutting disk carried by one of the levers, connections be tween said levers providing for a swinging movement of the feed roller and cutting disk relatively to each other. and a handle attac 16d to said journal whereby the feed roller may be turned.

9. A can opener comprising in combination, a pair of levers, a cutting disk mounted upon one of said levers, a plate pivotally connecting the cutting disk with the other lever, a feed roller pivoted to one of said levers, and a shifting bearing therefor in the other lever, and means for rotating the feed roller for feeding the cutting disk around the body of the can and severing the top therefrom.

10. A can opener comprising in combination, a pair of levers connected by a shifting fulcrum consisting of an elongated slot in one lever and a journal in the other lever extending therethrough, a feed roller carried by each of said levers, one of said feed rollers being secured on said journal, a cutting disk carried by one of the levers, a link connecting one of said levers with the other whereby when the levers are swung relative to each other the feed rollers are moved toward and from each other, and a handle attached to said journal whereby that feed roller may be turned.

11. In a can opener, the combination with a pair of handle levers of the second class having a common fulcrum movable relative to one of said levers, of a feed roller having an axis forming said fulcrum, an opposed feed roller journaled on the lever relative to which the fulcrum shifts, a cutting disc carried by one of the feed rollers, and connections between the two levers whereby when they are swung together the two feed rollers will move toward each other for the purpose described.

12. In a can opener, the combination with a pair of handle levers of the second class having a common fulcrum movable relative to one of said levers, of a feed roller having an axis forming said fulcrum, an opposed feed roller journaled on the lever relative to which the fulcrum shifts, a cutting disc carried by one of the feed rollers, and a link pivoted at its ends to the two levers so that when they are swung together the two feed rollers will move toward each other for the purpose described.

13. In a can opener, the combination with a pair of handle levers of the second class having a common fulcrum movable relative to one of said levers, of a feed roller having an axis forming said fulcrum, an opposed feed roller ournaled on the lever relative to which the fulcrum shifts, a cutting disc carried by one of the feed rollers, and a link pivoted at its ends to the two levers so that when they are swung together the two feed rollers will move toward each other for the purpose described, one of said feed rollers having its axis concentric with one of the pivots of the link.

14. In a can opener, the combination with a pair of handle levers of the second class having a common fulcrum movable relative to one of said levers, of a feed roller having an axis forming said fulcrum, an opposed feed roller journaled on the lever relative to which the fulcrum shifts, a cutting disc carried by one of the feed rollers, and a link pivoted at its ends to the two levers so that when they are swung together the two feed rollers will move toward each other for the purpose described, the axis of one of said feelil rollers forming one of the pivots of the lin 15. In a can opener, the combination with a pair of levers having a common fulcrum, of a feed roller journaled on one of the levers, an opposed feed roller journaled in a slot in the same lever and connected to the other lever so as to be moved thereby in said slot, a cutting disk secured to one of the feed roll- .ers, and a link connecting one of said levers and a link connecting the two levers so as to form a toggle joint whereby when they are brought toward each other the toggle is straightened to bring the two feed rollers toward each other.

17. A can opener including in combination a pivoted cutting disk member and a feed roller member, a pair of pivoted levers, one of which is provided with means adapting one of said members to approach the other 'member along a straight line.

18. A can opener including in combination a pivoted cutting disk member and a feed roller member, and a pair of pivoted levers, one of which is provided with a slot in which one of said members is movable toward the other member to gripping engagement with the can.

19. A can opener including in combination a pivoted cutting disk member and a feed roller member, a pair of pivoted levers provided with an elongated slot directing .the movement of one of said members toward the other member to operative engagement with and severing the top from the body of a can.

20. A can opener including in combination a pair of pivoted levers, one of which is provided with a slot, a cutting disk member and a feed roller member pivoted to one of said levers, the pivot of one of which members projects through a slot in said lever and is movable therein toward the other member for operating either of said levers to grip a can between said members.

21. A can opener including in combination a pair of pivoted levers, one of which levers is provided with an elongated slot, a cutting disk member and a feed roller member, one of which members has its bearing in said slot and is shiftable therein towards and from the other member, and means for rotating the feed roller.

22. In a can opener, an advancing roller and'a cutting disc mounted upon one handle, one of said members being; mounted in a slot in said handle and the other member being mounted on a fixed axis in said handle, another handle pivoted to the first mentioned handle and adapted to move the slot mounted member longitudinally along said first mentioned handle.

23. A can opener including in combination, two pivoted-together levers, one of which has an elongated slot, a rotatable cutter memher and a cooperating rotatable feed member supported on said pivoted levers, one of which members extends through the slot and is movable with respect to said slot, and means to move one of said rotatable members toward the other by operation of said levers.

24. In a can top remover, the combination or a shank, a wheel pivotally supported at one end of said shank, the other end of said shank serving as a handle, a slide reciprocably suported on said shank, a second wheel carried by said slide, one of said wheels operating to cut the can, handle means for rotating the other of said wheels, and lever means pivoted to said shank and operable by being squeezed toward the handle portion of said shank to move said slide toward said first named wheel.

25. In a can opener, the combination with operating levers each comprising a rigid elongated metallic bar, one of which has a. bearing member supported thereon adjacent one end, and the other of said levers having mounted thereon a cutter adjacent the end thereof and adapted to cooperate with said bearing" member; and operative connections between said levers for effecting bodily travel of said levers relatively to each other in a lon itudinal direction when the opposite ends 01" said levers are manipulated, and causing advance and recession of said cutter and said bearing member with respect to a can to be operated upon.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands this 15 day of July, 1925.

NELS IV. THYBONYL RUDOLPH M. OZABALQ 

